Clutch



" Sept 27, 1932- F. o, sNow, JR

GLUTCH4 Filed Aug. 16, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 27, 1932. F, o. sNow, JR 1,879,569

CLUTCH Filed Aug. 16, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Paten@ sept. 27, 1932 UNITED STATI-:ls

PATENT ol-Flclezv FREDERICK o. SNow, n... or wINCHasTEn, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSICNCB. To MEAD- MoamSoN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or EAST BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A Con- POBATION 0F IAINE I\CLUTCH Application illed Augustk 16, 1928. Serial No. 300,112.

This invention aims to provide an im proved friction clutch for power transmittmg mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings, I have vshown merely for illustrative purposes one embodiment of my invention, wherein Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of the clutch mechanism with parts thereof broken away to more clearly illustrate the invention, and to save space in the drawings;

Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

'he particular embodiment of this invention selected for purposes of illustration, and Shown in the drawings, is in the form of a master clutch mechanism, particularly adapted for use on motor vehicles, and comprises al circular housing 1 enclosing a fly wheel 2 of the power unit. The ily wheel 2 is secured in any appropriate manner to a flange 4 forming apart of the drive shaft 5 of said power unit, so as to cause said fly wheel to revolve with said shaft. The ily wheel 2 has a central recess 6 in its inner face 7, and secured within said recess is a driving clutch member 8, provided witha cylindrical portion 9 arranged concentric with the rim of said Ily wheel and an annular flange 10 which extends outwardly from one endof said cylindrical portion 9, and is secured herein by screws 11 to the inner face of said ily wheel causing said driving clutch member to turn with the fly wheel. Also extendin inwardly radially from near one end of said cylindrical portion 9, preferably from that end from which the flange 10 extends, is a second flange 12. A driven shaft 14 is arranged with its axis coincident with the axis of the fly wheel 2, and this shaft is provided with a reduced end 16 journalle'd in a bearing unit 18 arranged within a central axial recess 20 in said fly wheel, thus maintaining the shaft 14 in constant alignment with the axis of the said fly wheel and its driving shaft 5. Splined upon said shaft 14 to rotate therewith is a driven clutch member 22 having a hub 24 keyed to the shaft 14 and an outwardly extending web 26 carrying a cylindrical-rim 28 concentric A with the portion 9 of said driving member.

The 'driving member of said clutch is provided with a circumferential series of keys 30 arranged parallel with the axis of said driving member and upon the inner face of the cylindrical portion 9 thereof. The cylindrical portion 28 of the driven clutch member has upon its outer surface opposed'to the keys 30 a circumferentially spaced series of ribs32.

Interposed between the driving anddriven clutch members are driving and driven clutch rings 34 and 36 respectively, which alternate with each other and respectively engage the keys 3() and 32 of their respective clutch members. The rings 36 of the driven clutch member desirably vhave friction elements 38 secured to opposite faces thereof which engage adjacent driving clutch rings 34, and when sulicient pressure is brought to bear upon said rings motion is transmitted from the driving rings to said driven rings effecting rotation' of the driven clutch member.

l A pressure ring 40 is preferably interposed between the end ring of the series of clutch rings composed of the rings 34 and V36 and the flange 12 and this ring is provided with a bearing face 42 engaging the adjacent friction element 38 of the driven clutch ring 36. Furthermore, said pressure ring has a series of keyways 44 in its periphery to engage the keys 30 and insure the turning of said pressure ring 40 with the driving clutch element.

The face of the fly wheel at the back of the recess 6 isvinished at46, and constitutes a pressure surface for engaging the clutch ring as atp52, and have annular external flanges4 54 at their o posite ends which seat in recesses 56 in t e inner face of the flange 12, the bodies of said cup shaped members extending through holes 58 in said fiange and projectin laterally from the face 60 of s aid ange. e s rings 48 seat at one end a alnst the closed end; 52 of the cups 50, whi e the opposite ends thereof engage and seat against the rear face 62 of the pressure ring 40 encirclin projections 64 formed on said pressure p ate to prevent displacement of said springs.

To throw out the clutch and prevent the transmission of power from the driving clutch member 8 to the driven clutch member 22, I herein provide a series of clutch levers 66 desirably three in number which are uniformly spaced circumferentially of the face' of the flange 12, and pivoted on pins 67 between laterally projecting ears 68 on the drivin member 8. l

e clutch levers 66 are arran ed radially with respect to the axis of the shaft 14 and their outer endsare forked at 70 to straddle and en age opposite faces of collars 72 mounte upon studs 74 carried by the pressure ring 40. A nut 761 has screw-threaded engagement with the outer end of the stud 74, and is provided with teeth 78 adapted to engage corresponding notches 80 inthe adjacent face of said collar 72 to prevent accldental or inadvertent rotation of the nut relatively to said collar. The ortion of the collar 72 between the arms o said lever 66 may be formed in any known irregular manner to engage the inner faces of said arms and prevent rotation of said collar, and likewise the nut 76 at least when the teeth 78 are in en agement with the notches 80.

e inner ends of the levers 66 are rounded at 82 and these rounded ends engage the face 84 of a common clutch lever actuator 86, said actuator being journalled upon a bearing unit 88 carried upon a non-rotatable sleeve 90 splined at 92 to a stationary sleeve 94 surrounding the shaft 14. The sleeve 94 has a ange 96 on its outer end secured by screws 98 to the cover 100 of the clutch houslng 1.

By reason of the foregoing construction, the actuator 86 will be permitted to rotate freely upon the sleeve 90, but is moved axially of the shaft 14 b clutch throw-out means operable from t e exterior of the clutch housing.

In the present example, the clutch throwout means includes a lever 102 having at its outer end an eye 104 connected with any suitable operating means not shown in the drawings. 'The lever 102 is pivoted upon a pin 106 carried by arms 108 extending into the housing 1 through an opening 110 provided in the cover plate 100, through which o ening access may be had to the interior o the clutch. The arms 108 are herein formed on a second plate 112 which is secured over the opening 110, and secured in surrounding relation to said cover 112 is a flexible member or boot 114 which latter is secured at its outend 116 to the movable end of the lever 102, thus preventing d'ust and dirt from entering the clutch housing, and also preventing grease from bein discharged out from said clutch housing. he rear end of the shaft 14 is journalled to rotate in a bearing unit 118 carried by an oil retaining cap 120 secured by screws 122 to the cover 100. The lower end of the lever 102 is forked as shown most clearly in Fig. 1, having arms 124 arranged t0 straddle the shaft 14 and engage opposite sides of a flange 126, secured by screw threads 128 to the sleeve 90, said fiange 126 being adjustable axially of said sleeve to vary the relation of the lever 102 to the clutch shifting` ring 86.

he end of the non-rotatable sliding sleeve 90 nearest to the driven clutch member has a flange 130, the outer face of which iange is provided with a friction member 132, which is arrangedto engage a finished face 134 of the driven clutch member 22, when the ring 86 is moved to its extreme clutch throw-out position. Said friction member 132 and said ace 134 which are normally out of contact come together and constitute a brake for stopping further rotation of said driven clutch member after the latter has been disconnected from the driving clutch member.

The lever 102, clutch-shifting ring 86 and its associated parts, andthe levers 66, constitute means for throwing out the clutch by relieving the pressure of the springs upon the pressure ring 40.

There are times, however, when it is desirable to compress the springs 48 and retain them compressed for a considerable period, as for example, when the clutch is being assembled or disassembled, or when it is desired to remove and repair or resurface one or more clutch rings. To this end, I provide a series of studs 136 spaced uniformly around the circumference of the pressure ring 40 and in screw-threaded or other engagement with said pressure ring. These studs, of which three are shown in Fig. 1, extend from the pressure ring outwardly through openings 138 in the iiange 12. A nut 140 is arranged upon each of said studs, and is adjustable into engagement with a washer 142 encircling said stud and s anning or entirely covering the open end o the hole 138 whereby when said nut is screwed down on said stud against said washer, the pressure ring 40 will be drawn outwardly from contact with the series of clutch rings, compressing the springs v48 and relieving the pressure upon said clutch rings. These screws hold said pres-l sure ring in the withdrawn position, so that the said clutch rings and the parts associated therewith may easily be removed and replaced when desired.

los

The washer 142 may be slotted as at 144 so that if desired itmay be withdrawn when notin use.

The invention -is not limited to the particular embodiment herein shown.

I claim:

1. A friction clutch com rising, in combination, an engine fi whee a drivin clutch said pressure' ring and said fly wheel and alternately keyed to the driving and driven clutch members, a series of springs interposed -between said pressure ring and said second {iange to apply pressure to said clutchy rings, and clutch levers carried by said second flange. to release said clutch rings.

2. A clutch comprising, in combination, a driving element, a driven element having a friction surface, a series of friction rings dis osed between said elements, springs to maintain friction between said rings andtransmit motion from one ring to theother, a series of clutch levers for compressing said springs to relieve pressure u on said rings, a common ,operating collar ihr said clutch levers, a stationaryv sleeve upon which said collar is mounted to move toward the driven clutch element to operate'said clutch levers and a friction ring splined upon said sleeve and movable with said collar into engagement with said friction surface to stop rotation of said driven clutch element.

3. A clutch comprising, in combination, a driving element, a driven element having a friction surface, a series of friction rings disposed between said elements, springs to maintain friction between said rings and transmit motion from one ring to the other, a series of clutch levers for compressing said springs to relieve pressure u on said rings, a common operating collar or said clutch levers, a stationary sleeve upon which. said collar is mounted to move toward the driven clutch element to operate said clutch levers and a friction ring splined upon said sleeve and movable in unison with said collar into engagement with said friction surface to stop rotation of said driven clutch element, following the release of said clutch rins.

4. In a clutch, in combination, a y wheel having a recess in its rear face, a. driving clutch element secured to said fl wheel hav-v ing a cylindrical portion extending into said recess, a driven clutch 'element arranged within said' recess concentric with said cy indrical ortion, a series of clutch rings disposed letween said driving and-driven elements and alternately keyed to said driving and driven clutch elements, springs 'to maintain pressure upon said clutch rings to transmit motion from one of said clutch elements to the other,vclutch levers for compressing said springs, a housing enclosing said iiy wheel, a cover late detachably secured to said housing an an operatin lever for said clutch, said o erating lever eing pivotally carried by said cover plate and removable therewith for operatingy said clutch levers through said cover plate and a liexible closure between said cover plate and the-operative end of said clutch lever.

5. In a clutch, in combination, a fly wheel having a recess in its rear face, a driving clutch element secured to said clutch having a cylindrical portion extending into said recess, a driven clutch element arranged within said recess concentric with said cylindrical portion, a series of clutch rings dis- .poscd between said driving and driven elements and alternately keyed to said driving and driven clutch elements, springs to maintain pressure upon said clutch rings to transmit motion from one of said clutch elements to the other, clutch levers for compressing said springs, a housing surrounding said fly wheel, a cover plate detachably secured to said housing and enclosing said clutch, a sleeve carried by said cover plate, a collar supported by said sleeve and slidable thereon to operate said clutch levers to relieve pressure upon said clutch rings, and a friction member splined to said sleeve and movable with said collar to engage a face of said vdriven clutch element and stop the rotation thereof.

6. In a friction clutch, in combination, driving and driven clutch members, clutch rings interposed between said members, spring means to exert pressure upon said rings to transmit power from said driving to said driven members, a housing for said members, an opening through which access may be had to said clutch members, a cover for said opening, means to release said spring pressure from said rings including a shiftable meinber, a forked clutch lever carried by said cover and, lprojecting into said housingv through said openin into operative engagement with said shi table member to effect shifting thereof, and the throwing out of said clutch.

7. In a friction clutch, in combination, driving and driven clutch members, clutch rings interposed between said members, spring means to exert pressure u on said rings to transmit power from sai driving to said driven members, a housing for said members, an opening through Awhich access may be had -friction surface,

to said clutch members, means to release said springpressure from said rings including a shiftable member, a cover for said opening, a clutch lever pivotally supported upon said cover at a distance within said casin and in operative engagement with said s iftable member for operating the latter to throw out the clutch.

8. In a friction clutch, in combination, driving and driven clutch members, clutch rings interposed between said members, spring means to exert pressure upon said rings to transmit power from said driving to said driven members, a housing for said members an opening through which access may be had to said clutch members, means to release saidspring pressure from said rings including a shiftable member, a cover for said opening, also provided with an opening, a clutch lever projecting through the opening in said cover and pivotally mounted in operative engagement with said shiftable member, and flexible means surroundin said cover opening and said lever to exclude dust from said housing.

9. A clutch comprising, inl combination, a driving element, a driven element having a spring means normally to maintain driving connection between said driving element and said driven element to transmit motion from one to the other, a plurality of clutch levers for compressing said spring means to interrupt said driving connection, a common operating collar for said clutch levers, a stationary sleeve on which said collar is mounted to move toward said driven element to Operate said clutch levers,

and a friction rinor splined on said sleeve and A movable with sald collar into engagement With said friction surface to stop the rotation of said driven element.

In testimony whereof, I have signed myA name to this specification.

FREDERICK O. SNOW, JR. 

